The Dickinson press., 1887-08-20
A MAN FIT TO FIGHT.
THE WORK OF PUTTING HIM IN
PROPER PHYSICAL CONDITION..

The WORK OF PUTTING HIM IN
PROPER PHYSICAL CONDITION..
Radical Difference Between the Old and
the New Methods of Trainins-Scvcre
Purgatives No Longer EmplOycl-Not
Restricted In Diet.
There is radical difference between the
new and the old methods of training men for
athletic contests. The change has largely been
made in tho past twenty five years, and those
who have made it declare that the new way
is vast improvement on the old, inaslnuch
as it is in accordance with tho latest and best
medical understanding, and enables man to
be brought to the very perfection of health.
strength and endurance with the least posi-
bic strain upon his system and the minimum
Of danger to his stamina
In nothing is the change more perceptible
than in the manner of training puglists. Tho
Old school fighter was, rs rule, frecr liver
than the modern type. He fed high when he
could and he drank hard and steadily. Con-
sequently his system was nominally gross,
and lie required good deal of preparation to
fit him for long and arduous contest. There
were no four round "battles' in his day.
When he SHE'D his castor into twenty four
foot ring and followed it i'll person ho
knew that there was no leaving TINT ring
until either he or his competitor was licked,
or until both were so exhausted that neither
could strike blow. Prize fighting was a Sc
rious matter in those days, and those who ell
gagged i'll it made serious preparations for it
or rued their negligence i'll defeat
IN THE OLD DAYS
In the old days the first stop in training
was to physic man thoroughly. Bluc pills
were the favorite medium Two, three or
four Of them, according to circumstances.
would be administered at night, and next
morning they would be followed by liberal
amount of "hlack draught.' This was largely
composed of EPSON salts and SIENNA, and such
like drastics. In special cases this treatment
would be repeated two or three times for a
week, and when it was the man generally
wound up at its termination as weak as cat.
Then he would get light, nourishing food and
but moderate exercise until he recuperated.
Then as now, work and diet were the two
great mediums employed to get man into
perfect condition. Much more work was
given them, however A fighter would have
to walk ten miles in tho morning, and rs
much in the afternoon, enveloped i'll heavy
flannels and thick outer clothing, and would
have to run the last mile home Mt the ton of
his speed. Then he would be stripped, rubbed
dry with towels, bathcd, dried and rubbed
down well by hand.
Besides running long distances daily, and
being bathed and rubbed, the old time fighter
had to spar with his trainer and to fight the
bag, swing dumb bells and i'll many other
ways take violent physical exercise But it
was in his diet that his training differed most
from the modern system. Rich, rare beef
was the standby of his food. 1t was thought
that thorough cooking destroyed the nutri-
tious qualities of meat, so he got his steak
hardly more than warmed by tho fire. "Red
rags" was the slang namc for it, and 1t was
aptly descriptive. In Cribb's day it was
served to him on n soup plate, and for gravy
be had pint of heavy English ale Ho got
no pepper, salt or butter, no coffee or tea,
and his bread was stale and hard as rock,
Occasionally he got little mutton, but cred
rags" composed his steady diet 1t was early
to bed and early to riso with him. He was
kept free from worry or fret, and this long
protracted, rigid regimen often brought him
to the scratch Fl: to fight for kings life.
How severe this was may he inferred from
the fact that it was q saying among those
who underwent it that they would sooner
fight two men than train to fight one
MUCH EASIER TINE.
The fighters of today have much easier
time Of it, even when training to fight at an
agreed on weight. To begin with severe pur.
gatives are no longer employed in the pre-
paratory publication Of the system The
physical exercises are moro diversified and
are not SO severe, and sparring is seldom or
never indulged in. A man is presumed to
know how to fight when he is matched, and
there is SO much danger of hurting hands or
arms in mimic conflicts that they are care
fully avoided But it is in the diet that the
greatest change has been made. In the first
place, with the exception of pastry, fats, and
spices, almost anything that agrees with a
man is allowed him, and his food is thor
oughly and properly cooked. OF course he
does not get warm bread-that is unfit for
any human stomach, no matter how palata-
BILE it may be. He is even permitted to use
butter and pepper and salt sparingly, and all
vegetables that agree with him are consid-
cred beneficial. Potatoes make fat rapidly,
consequently he gets one only now and again,
and then it is boiled, or, better still. baked.
He is not encouraged to use water or other
liquids freely, yet be is permitted at all times
to qlench his natural thirst by drinking
moderate quantities Of water. There is de-
sire for liquids while training, which arises
from parched or feverish condition of the
mouth and throat. This is relieved by gar
Cling with water. In the older days men
kept pebble in the mouth or piece of quill
between the teeth to stimulate the flow of
saliva, and so keep the mouth and throat
moist. 1t was not bad plan, but it was not
as good as gargling.
The great John l.. Sullivan revolutionized
prize fighting and, in a measure, training at
the same time A man who intends contest
ing in four round fight does not need the
same preparations that he would for battle
to finish. All he requires is to get his wind
all right, nnd be strong on bis pins. As
rule the heavier he is the better, as his weight
will prevent his being hustled about as he
clinches. In the new even more than in the
old method of treating the object is to have
a man observe the rules of health, to eat
moderately but sufficiently Of good, sound
food, to take proper exercise in pure air, to
keep en- equable temper and take plenty Of
sleep, and, above all things, to refrain re-
ligiously from anything like excessive use of
stimulants, and to abstain wholly from the
use OF tobacco.-New York Sun.
Homeless case.